The invention relates to flight control of aircraft and, more particularly, to fuzzy logic based emergency flight control with thrust vectoring capability.
Sophisticated flight control systems are required to handle the complex requirements of modern aircraft flight. As the number of aircraft and the percent utilization of aircraft, specifically takeoffs and landings, increases, air traffic control (ATC) becomes more complicated. Heightened sensitivity and awareness of the importance of preventing mid-air collisions and other accidents increases with the increase in air traffic. Air traffic increases have resulted in more numerous flight paths and less aircraft spacing. The demands put on aircraft navigation systems have correspondingly increased.
Typically, transport aircraft use conventional aerodynamic flight control (AFC) methods that involve maneuvering the aircraft by means of the aircraft control surfaces. These control surfaces, such as the ailerons, elevators, and rudders, manipulate airflow to allow for modification of the aircraft flight path. Maneuverability of an AFC based aircraft with a fixed thrust direction is controlled, to a lesser degree, by changing engine thrust magnitudes. An increased research effort is being placed on modifying the direction of the engine thrust by nozzle redirection capabilities or external adjustable vanes. Controlling thrust direction is known as thrust vectoring. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,782,431; 5,769,317; 5,687,907; 5,628,272, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Thrust vectoring allows for much greater control of an aircraft and has been studied extensively for use in military applications. Inhospitable conditions demand flexibility in the ability of the military to make use of various runway lengths for aircraft. When the only runway available is very short, the need exists for an aircraft that is able to perform vertical or short takeoffs and landings. The McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace AV-8B Harrier II is a military aircraft that is capable of such maneuvers. Aircraft with variable type thrust delivery systems are capable of vertical or short takeoffs and landings.
Commercial aircraft do not incorporate hardware for producing a vertical thrust component. In normal aircraft operating environments, with adequate runway lengths and the like, there has not been a need for thrust vectoring. The exception is the use of thrust deflectors that are deployable upon landing to assist in slowing of the aircraft after touchdown. However, the inventor""s believe that there is an unfulfilled need to improve collision and meteorological hazard responsiveness in aircraft in general and in commercial aircraft in specific.
Aircraft are very safe modes of transportation but there is always the chance that an aircraft may be involved in a collision with another aircraft, lose altitude unexpectedly or impact an object fixed to the ground.
xe2x80x9cControlled Flight into Terrainxe2x80x9d is a term used to describe a situation where an aircraft, under control of the crew, is flown into terrain, an obstacle or water, with no prior awareness on the part of the crew of the impending collision. Avoidance of this type of mishap is addressed in this invention.
Another mishap this invention seeks to avoid is the loss of control of the aircraft due to weather and atmospheric phenomenon. Aircraft experiencing turbulence, in particular wind shear, are at risk to sudden changes in altitude. These sudden changes in altitude are, at the minimum, uncomfortable to passengers and crew and if radical will jeopardize the safety of the aircraft itself. This danger is more pronounced at takeoff and landing when the aircraft is at low altitude. The aircraft can lose altitude rapidly and possibly impact the ground due to the effects of wind shear.
Wind shear is a natural phenomenon that occurs primarily during thunderstorms. A large downburst of cold, dense air associated with a frontal system hits the surface of the earth and spreads horizontally undercutting the warmer air outside the zone of the cold air downburst. The mixing of the cold and warm air produces a rolling vortex and causes high velocity winds to surge in opposite directions. This phenomena is wind shear. The hazard presented by wind shear, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), has, directly or indirectly, contributed to approximately fifty percent of all commercial airline fatalities between 1974 and 1985. The NTSB has determined that over six hundred lives have been lost since 1964 due to the effects of wind shear.
To help alleviate the problem caused by wind shear, all commercial carriers were required to install some form of wind shear detection/avoidance system on their aircraft by 1995. Various sensing hardware and techniques are available for an aircraft to determine if it is in a hazardous turbulence or wind shear condition. Methods and apparatuses designed for wind shear detection, such as Doppler radar, have been developed. Methods and apparatuses for position and attitude sensing, as well as wind shear detection, are necessary for the implementation of an aircraft stabilizing system. Various configurations of wind shear detection may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,050,087; 5,406,489; 5,648,782; 5,523,759; 5,093,662, each of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Collision avoidance is one consideration of flight control systems. Collision avoidance schemes are largely dependent on efforts of air traffic controllers tracking aircraft traffic. When a potential danger became evident or was detected, the air traffic controller would notify each of the aircraft involved and provide alternative flight paths. With the increase in volume of air traffic, the air traffic controller""s responsibilities have increased as well. What was once an acceptable and manageable technique for managing the volume of aircraft has become less manageable. Aircraft intercommunications or ground based monitoring stations in conjunction with on board collision avoidance systems have provided for more effective collision avoidance infrastructure.
GPS based air traffic control and collision avoidance systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,740,047; 5,714,948; 5,638,282; 5,636,123; 5,610,815; 5,596,332; 5,450,329; 5,414,631; 5,325,302; 5,153,836; and 4,835,537, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Emergency control using thrust vectoring has been proposed for transport aircraft (U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,431). This patent only describes the apparatus and its operation and does not disclose any system for detection of the need for thrust vectoring. Specifically, it does not include any method of automatic control in the event of a dangerous situation that may require an immediate action faster than a manual response implemented by the flight crew. The system disclosed herein implements a fuzzy logic based control scheme to analyze the danger level and appropriately engage the thrust vectoring system, in conjunction with automatic flight control measures, for aircraft stabilization or collision avoidance.
Fuzzy logic is a well known and developed logic system which is a superset of Boolean logic. Since the world is primarily analog in nature, many situations cannot be analyzed in a simple binary analysis. Simply concluding that an event, element or condition is either xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d or is not xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d is seldom adequate in making a complex decision. For example, an aircraft""s altitude cannot simply be distinguished by low or not low, high or not high. There are other factors that need to be factored into the equation. For instance, an aircraft that is flying at twelve thousand feet altitude is not necessarily xe2x80x9clowxe2x80x9d but in a mountainous region with peaks extending to twelve thousand feet xe2x80x9clowxe2x80x9d takes on a relevant new meaning. Fuzzy logic systems are designed to deal with these nuances and assist in decision output results dependent on a set of operating rules.
Bivalent Set Theory is limiting as a decision making system, when attempting to model problems involving xe2x80x9chumanisticxe2x80x9d issues, because membership in bivalent sets is mutually exclusive. To provide a level of utility beyond that resulting from Bivalent Set Theory the theory of Fuzzy Logic or Fuzzy Set Theory was developed. Fuzzy Set Theory provides for membership in more than one set thus allowing a transition band from one set to another. As an example, instead of saying the air speed of an aircraft went from medium to fast in a change of 1 knot/hour (400 knots=medium, 401 knots=fast), the fuzzy set theory permits the change to happen over 10, 20, or 30 knots. This represents a transition band where the speed has membership (of magnitude less than 1) in both the medium and fast sets.
If the current flight status (pilot commands, altitude, air speed, engine thrust magnitude, nozzle angle, etc.) and external weather conditions (wind speed, wind shear magnitude, etc.) of an aircraft are known, a fuzzy logic controller is able to make rapid decisions as to the magnitude of a hazardous situation. The fuzzy logic controller can also determine what corrective actions should be taken.
Providing fuzzy logic controllers with the ability to automatically engage both conventional aerodynamic flight control (CFC) and thrust vectoring flight control (TVFC), the fuzzy logic controller is able to make decisions as to what combination of the two flight control systems would best handle the hazardous situation.
Sophisticated systems for determining aircraft position exist and continue to be developed. Such systems are especially important to an emergency flight control system for controlling an aircraft in an emergency situation. One of the aeronautical navigation or geographic positioning technologies that exists for determining aircraft position is the global positioning system (GPS). In addition other navigation aid systems are available. For instance, the global orbiting navigation satellite system (GLONASS) is a system that is currently in use.
The core of GPS is a constellation of twenty-four (24) satellites which continuously transmit information that are used by GPS based navigation equipment for position determination. Using differential GPS (DGPS), very accurate position information is attained for navigation and other flight control functions. Various GPS based navigation techniques that are used in conjunction with this invention include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,095; 5,548,293; 5,543,804, each of which is incorporated by reference herein. Since GPS systems provide very accurate and precise information as to the aircraft""s location, then GPS systems are desirable systems that may be integrated into subsystems that can be used for flight control and/or emergency control of an aircraft.
There is an industry need for an improved flight control system for controlling an aircraft in emergency situations or for use in hands-off flight situations. The present invention discloses and provides a fuzzy logic based emergency flight control system with thrust vectoring and aerodynamic flight control capabilities, and the present invention overcomes the problems, disadvantages, and limitations of the prior art.
This invention provides for a fuzzy logic based emergency flight control and warning system using GPS position information and incorporating both aerodynamic flight control and thrust vectoring flight control techniques. Although not directed exclusively to emergency flight control systems, such emergency systems will be discussed in depth herein, however, this disclosure is intended to cover non-emergency flight controls as well.
In this invention a fuzzy logic system is used to make important decisions concerning the flight trajectory of an aircraft. The decisions include those concerned with, for example, the magnitude of danger that exists and what type of corrective action should be taken to alleviate the dangerous situation. Corrective action, triggered by the fuzzy logic controller, includes using aerodynamic flight control methods, thrust vectoring flight control methods, or a combination of the two systems. The invention also contemplates the use of data from an air traffic control system that uses position information derived from the GPS receivers. Such information will be input data to the fuzzy logic system. Based on the information input from the air traffic control system the fuzzy logic controller determines if other aircraft in the area pose a safety threat.
Air traffic control systems use bidirectional radio communications for transmitting information between aircraft or ground monitoring stations. A terrain map containing information of ground objects (buildings, trees, mountains, and the like) provides information to the fuzzy logic controller. This information is used in the determination of the magnitude of danger that may exist relative to the aircraft with respect to ground objects.
The fuzzy logic controller of this invention uses GPS receivers located on the extremities of the aircraft to provide input for position, attitude, heading, and speed calculations. GPS has been developed for a variety of applications and uses. Differential GPS receivers have also been developed and currently have the ability to resolve a receiver position to an accuracy of one centimeter. Differential GPS relies upon ground based correction stations having an exact known position to provide differential GPS receivers information about the distortion of the satellite signals. The proposed invention provides emergency flight control measures to prevent aircraft accidents, which requires precise position and attitude information for proper operation of the system. The flight information provided by the GPS receivers is also used in the air traffic control system when notifying other aircraft about a first aircraft""s position and heading.
This invention contemplates and discloses simultaneous use of aerodynamic flight control surfaces and thrust vectoring controls using adjustable engine nozzles or separate vanes/panels for flight and/or emergency control. The thrust vectoring aspect of flight control provides contemporary aircraft more flexibility in flight control options. This includes both aerodynamic flight control and the ability to provide thrust components in more than one direction, including thrust reversing which is useful in slowing the aircraft. Generally, thrust from the engines of the aircraft is redirected in a manner that provides a vertical component of thrust giving an aircraft a shorter takeoff and landing capability. Such thrust vectoring also provides enhanced protection from hazardous situations such as wind shear and turbulence. It is contemplated that thrust vectoring may also be used to avoid mid-air collisions between aircraft.
The fuzzy logic controller of this invention takes input from various aircraft sensors, including GPS receivers, air traffic control facilities, and also the terrain map, to determine if the aircraft is in a dangerous situation. The fuzzy logic controller implements rule based xe2x80x9cif-thenxe2x80x9d algorithms making constant calculations to determine the magnitude of danger that may exist and what actions to take to alleviate the danger. For example, if aircraft experiences wind shear on takeoff, the danger level is extremely high due to the low altitude of the aircraft and minimal time available to correct the situation. In such a situation the fuzzy logic controller, after issuing a warning notification to the flight crew, decides either to take immediate action (automatic flight control) by implementing the necessary thrust vectoring and/or aerodynamic flight control measures or to leave aircraft control in the hands of the crew. The automatic flight control action taken to prevent unfortunate consequences resulting from wind shear will be extreme because of the proximity to the ground and low air speed. These extreme measures may be uncomfortable to the passengers but may save lives by causing the aircraft to recover from the wind shear incident. In another type of situation, an aircraft experiencing severe turbulence at thirty thousand feet, the time available for the crew to take action to recover from a sudden loss of altitude is usually adequate. Thus the fuzzy logic controller may not necessarily dictate automatic flight control and most likely will not dictate extreme corrective measures. The fuzzy logic controller in this case may determine either to allow the flight crew to handle the problem or decide that it is able to improve the situation by the immediate and automatic application of the necessary aerodynamic flight control and thrust vectoring flight control measures. The reason for some degree of automatic flight control would be to smooth the turbulence effects and improve the quality of the passenger flight. In one variation of the high altitude circumstance, that being a situation wherein a second aircraft is determined to be proximate the first aircraft due to a sudden loss of altitude, the fuzzy logic controller may dictate that pilot control be superseded by automatic flight control at the direction of the fuzzy logic controller.
The use of both aerodynamic flight control and thrust vectoring flight control measures increases the overall ability of the aircraft to avert hazardous or dangerous situations and improve the flight quality for the benefit of the passengers.
The invention also incorporates an air traffic control system, which broadcasts the position of a first aircraft and receives position information of all aircraft in a specific region. A two-way radio system provides the communications between aircraft and a ground monitoring station. Information from the air traffic control system is displayed to the flight crew and is also monitored by the fuzzy logic controller to determine if a potential threat to the first aircraft exists.
A terrain mapping system is also used as an input to the data processing in the fuzzy logic system. The terrain map provides information to the fuzzy logic controller about all ground-based objects in the area or flight path of the aircraft. The terrain map also includes information about the position of all geographic objects such as hills, mountains, trees, buildings, towers, power lines, signs, and like hazards. The map of all ground-based objects provides critical accident prevention information when conditions require flying an aircraft by instruments alone (IFR). If the fuzzy logic controller detects the aircraft approaching an object identified in the terrain map, it immediately provides the flight crew with a warning of the level of danger or automatically takes immediate emergency flight control measures to prevent an impending collision.
Warning indicators on board the aircraft provide the flight crew with the current status of flight situations or conditions. The warning indicators may be one of many alarm options to provide the flight crew with information about possible hazardous or dangerous situations. Warnings are both visual and audible. Audible warnings may be in the form of simple tones, intense alarms, or synthetic speech, to provide important flight crew hazard warning if the flight crew""s attention has been diverted from the visual warning system.
It is an object of this invention to provide a fuzzy logic based control system that makes determinations of the magnitude of a hazardous or dangerous situation, that an aircraft may be experiencing. The control system includes a fuzzy logic controller that receives a plurality of inputs from the various aircraft sensors, including GPS receivers, an air traffic control facility, and terrain map of ground based objects.
It is another object of this invention to implement the fuzzy logic controller using if-then inference rule base fuzzy logic algorithms. The fuzzy logic controller determines the level of danger that exists and what corrective measures needs to be taken to avert a disaster or dangerous situation.
It is another object of this invention to make use of both aerodynamic flight control and thrust vectoring flight control for stabilizing an aircraft in dangerous or emergency situations. The fuzzy logic controller makes the determination of when and to what extent the two flight control systems are used in different dangerous or emergency situations.
It is an object of this invention to use GPS receivers located at optimal locations about the extremities of the aircraft to provide critical position, heading, and speed information for input to the fuzzy logic controller and air traffic controller functions.
It is an object of this invention to implement an air traffic control system that provides inputs to the fuzzy logic controller, which is processed to make determinations of dangerous or hazardous flight situations such as possibilities of mid-air collisions with other aircraft in the area. The system transmits and receives GPS navigation information directly from other aircraft or ground monitoring stations. The air traffic control system displays traffic information about all aircraft in a given area.
It is an object of this invention to implement automatic flight control measures when necessary. When a hazardous or dangerous condition is detected by the fuzzy logic controller and the aircraft is not being properly controlled to avoid the condition or the flight danger is imminent, the fuzzy logic controller performs the necessary emergency flight control measures, aerodynamic flight control, and/or thrust vectoring flight control to prevent an accident or dangerous situation.
It is another object of this invention to use a terrain map to provide input about ground based objects to the fuzzy logic controller. The terrain map is a geographic information system providing critical information about the position and size of ground-based objects including mountains, buildings, towers, trees, and the like. When the fuzzy logic controller detects a possible danger with an object on the ground, it may take the necessary danger/emergency aerodynamic flight control and/or thrust vectoring flight control measures or it may simply alert the flight crew if the danger is not imminent.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by a fuzzy logic based emergency flight control system for an aircraft. The system has a thrust vectoring flight control system and a fuzzy logic controller. The thrust vectoring flight control system provides thrust to the aircraft in an emergency situation. The fuzzy logic controller executes fuzzy logic algorithms for assessing the emergency situation and controlling the aircraft in the emergency situation. An adjustable nozzle is coupled to the engines of the aircraft. The nozzle is adjusted to direct thrust of the aircraft in a determined direction after the fuzzy logic controller has assessed the emergency situation. Alternatively, an adjustable panel is mounted to a wing of the aircraft and can be positioned near the engine exhaust. The panel is can be adjusted to direct thrust of the aircraft in a determined direction after the fuzzy logic controller has assessed the emergency situation.
An aerodynamic flight control system is coupled to the fuzzy logic controller for providing control to the fuzzy logic controller of aerodynamic controls of the aircraft in the emergency situation. The aerodynamic flight control system further includes a control surface system for controlling control surfaces, such as flaps, ailerons, and stabilizers of the aircraft. The fuzzy logic controller further includes a central processing unit which executes algorithms and applications for controlling the aircraft in the emergency situation.
The fuzzy logic controller further includes a position and attitude determination system for determining position and attitude of the aircraft. The position, attitude, and heading determination system further includes global positioning system receivers mounted at extremities of the aircraft and a determination processor coupled to the global positioning receivers for calculating and assessing position, attitude, and heading of the aircraft. The fuzzy logic controller further includes an aircraft position monitoring system, a communications system, a display device, and a terrain map.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are also achieved by a method of using a fuzzy logic based emergency flight control system for an aircraft. A thrust vectoring flight control system is operated for providing thrust to the aircraft in an emergency situation. A fuzzy logic controller that is coupled to the thrust vectoring flight control system is used to execute fuzzy logic algorithms for assessing the emergency situation and controlling the aircraft using the thrust vectoring flight control system in the emergency situation. An aerodynamic flight control system is also coupled to the fuzzy logic controller used for providing control to the aerodynamic controls of the aircraft in the emergency situation. Control surfaces of the aircraft are controlled by the fuzzy logic controller.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by a fuzzy logic method for controlling an aircraft in an emergency situation. Input variables such as altitude, wind shear, air speed, and proximity parameters related to the aircraft are obtained, and communicated to a fuzzy logic controller. Further input variables may be current thrust magnitude and current thrust angle. The input variables are fuzzified into input fuzzy sets using the fuzzy logic controller. The output variables are converted into output fuzzy sets. The output fuzzy sets are used to calculate crisp output values for controlling the aircraft in the emergency situation. Commands based on the crisp output values are executed, and the commands control the aircraft in the emergency situation.
Inference rule tables, a process component of fuzzy logic, are used to convert the output variables into the fuzzy sets. Total lift required for recovery from the emergency situation is determined and calculated from a sum of thrust from thrust vectoring flight control commands and thrust from aerodynamic flight control commands. A ratio of thrust between the thrust vectoring flight control commands and the aerodynamic flight control commands is determined. The inverse ratio between the aerodynamic flight control commands and the thrust vectoring flight control commands alternatively can be determined. Inference rules are used to determine the total thrust.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are also achieved by an aircraft position, attitude, and heading determination system. The system includes global positioning system receivers mounted at various locations of the aircraft and a determination processor coupled to the global positioning receivers for calculating and assessing position, attitude, and heading of the aircraft. The global positioning system receivers are located at extremities, such as nose of the aircraft, tail of the aircraft, left and right wing tips of the aircraft. The global positioning system receivers and the determination processor also determine angle of attack of the aircraft.
The preferred embodiments of the inventions are described below in the Figures and Detailed Description. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art or arts. If any other meaning is intended, the specification will specifically state that a special meaning is being applied to a word or phrase. Likewise, the use of the words xe2x80x9cfunctionxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmeansxe2x80x9d in the Detailed Description is not intended to indicate a desire to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6 to define the invention. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6, are sought to be invoked to define the inventions, the claims will specifically state the phrases xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d and a function, without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material, or act in support of the function. Even when the claims recite a xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d performing a function, if they also recite any structure, material or acts in support of that means of step, then the intention is not to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6. Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6, are invoked to define the inventions, it is intended that the inventions not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but, in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later-developed equivalent structures, materials or acts for performing the claimed function.
For example, the disclosed system uses GPS for navigation and other functions. The navigation could also be implemented using GLONASS, combination of GPS and GLONASS, or any other navigation system providing the necessary performance.
Likewise, the disclosed system makes use of a thrust vectoring system, in conjunction with aerodynamic flight control measures, to stabilize the aircraft under adverse conditions such as wind shear. This system could be implemented using any suitable thrust vectoring techniques heretofore known or hereinafter developed.
Likewise, there are disclosed several computers, controllers, and systems that perform various control operations. The specific form of the computer, controller, or system is not important to the invention. Any computer, controller or system now known or hereafter known or developed that is capable of performing the functions, processes or methods disclosed herein may be used in the implementation of this invention. In its preferred form, the necessary computing steps or control steps are able to be implemented into existing flight control computers.